1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that receives printing content through a network and that performs printing of the received printing content, and more particularly, performing printing on a disk medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, due to the developments of digitalization and networking of home electric appliances, digital broadcast television apparatuses (hereinafter, referred to as DTVs) have also realized various functions by transferring data to other apparatuses through networks. For example, a system in which a DTV transfers printing data contained in received broadcast data to a printer through a network and the printer performs printing of the received printing data has been considered. Alternatively, a system in which information indicating the location of printing data on the Internet contained in broadcast data to a printer and the printer acquires the printing data and performs printing of the received printing data has been considered. Such printing systems are defined by “Data Coding and Transmission Specification for Digital Broadcasting” (ARIB STANDARD, Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB), ARIB STD-B24, Version 5.1) and “OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES FOR DIGITAL TERRESTRIAL TELEVISION BROADCASTING” (ARIB TECHNICAL REPORT, ARIB TR-B14, Version 2.8). Printing related to such data broadcasting will be hereinafter referred to as data broadcast printing.
The data broadcast printing is performed on the basis of PE:1 (PrintEnhanced:1), which is a printing service based on Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) technology. UPnP is a known set of protocols that enables a device connected to a network to be easily found and controlled. In UPnP technology, an apparatus that controls a device is called a control point (CP). In the case of data broadcast printing, a DTV serves as a CP.
PE:1, which is a service of a printer device based on UPnP technology, is defined by “PrintEnhanced:1 Service Template Version 1.01.” When a printer is connected to a network to which a DTV is connected, the DTV, which serves as a CP, is capable of detecting the printer. In the PE:1 service, a CreateURIJob action is mainly used as a printing instruction that a DTV issues to a printer. The printing instruction does not contain printing data. The printing instruction contains a uniform resource identifier (URI) serving as location information indicating the location of printing content on the network. When receiving the printing instruction, the printer requests a content server indicated by the URI contained in the printing instruction to transmit content to be printed, and performs printing of the acquired content.
Some printers are capable of performing label printing on disk media, such as CDs and DVDs. Some disk media, such as CDs and DVDs, have a circular shape whose diameter is 8 cm or 12 cm. Furthermore, in recent years, card-shaped CDs have been becoming widely used. As stated above, media having various shapes and various sizes are available. In addition, even for circular-shaped disk media, inner and outer diameters representing a printable region in which printing can be performed may differ from medium to medium. Thus, in the case of label printing on a disk medium, a dedicated application by which an image to be printed can be finely adjusted so as to fit the printable region of the medium is generally used. For example, as a method for printing a piece of content so as to be compatible with various media, a method for changing the size of an image subjected to label printing in accordance with a medium on which printing is to be performed is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-62111.
Meanwhile, in recent years, since recording of digital broadcasts on disk media, such as DVDs, has been widely performed, performing label printing on a disk medium by using a DTV has been required. That is, the operations of acquiring content from a content server and printing the acquired content on a disk medium, such as a CD or a DVD, have been considered.
However, even in this case, there is a problem in that printing must be performed so as to fit a printable region of a medium, as described above. Under such circumstances, a method for adjusting content to be printed can be considered, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-62111. However, according to this method, in a printed image, image balance may be degraded or an important portion of the image may be lost. FIG. 8A is an illustration showing an example of printing content to be printed on a disk medium. In a case where the printing content shown in FIG. 8A is printed on a disk medium, a region encircled by dotted lines represents a printable region. FIG. 8B is an illustration showing an example of the printing content adjusted by the method described in the prior art. The printing content shown in FIG. 8B is generated by reducing the printing content shown in FIG. 8A. Although the outer diameters of the printable regions shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B differ from each other, the inner diameters of the printable regions shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B are the same. Thus, in a case where, as in the technology described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-62111, the size of the printing content shown in FIG. 8A is reduced and the reduced printing content is printed within the printable region shown in FIG. 8B, part of an image of an object exists outside the printable region. In particular, in a system in which charged content is printed in data broadcast printing, a situation in which acquired content does not fit the printable region of a medium on which the content is to be printed causes a serious problem.
Thus, in a case where, in particular, data broadcast printing is performed on a medium having a printable region similar to that of a disk medium, it is desirable that a content server store a plurality of pieces of dedicated printing content suitable for media on which printing is to be performed and that a printer acquire a corresponding piece of printing content and print the acquired printing content. Thus, in order to acquire the dedicated printing content, it is necessary to transfer, from the printer to the content server, medium setting information indicating the shape, size, and the like of a medium on which printing is to be performed. However, according to the current standards of data broadcast printing, medium setting information cannot be transferred directly from a printer to a content server. Thus, in order to transfer medium setting information to a content server, a DTV needs to acquire medium setting information of a printer and to transmit the acquired medium setting information to the content server. In this method, however, the DTV needs to perform communications a large number of times. Thus, a large amount of load will be imposed on the DTV.